In 2007 The Showdown published the song “Temptation come my way” which is a raw demonstration of Southern Metal at its best. I have never been much of a lyrics person; it is the music that catches me, but for some reason this song’s title has stuck with me.

I was reminded about the song this morning when reading one of Fred Pruitt’s writings. When the going gets tough, I always return to Fred. I don’t know of anyone who can explain the deep things of God better than him and his words always find resonance within me providing the wisdom, comfort, faith and redirection I need in that moment. Not an outer redirection, but an inner redirection and quickening of faith.

As I read two sentences were in particular highlighted of which the keywords were: “Increase” and “Stones to bread”.

What is the increase we so often find in the scriptures? In that moment I understood it as the increase of ourselves as we emerge out of a false consciousness about ourselves. And this can perhaps be best understood in the context of Jesus temptation in the desert where His sonship was questioned: “If you are the son of God turn these stones into bread”.

Having emptied Himself of His divinity Jesus was like one of us walking in weakness facing the same temptations and doubts we do. In the instant I read “turn stones into bread” it struck me that Jesus actually was tempted to enroll into some kind of behaviour modification program, which basically would have been a reversal of the faith in which He stood – a reversal to flesh walking instead of faith walking (walking in the Spirit).

Implicit in the increase is the discovery that I cannot turn stones into bread – only God can. And further, that I am not meant to, and even further, my sonship isn’t contingent on me, but is a fact because God has said it is so – that I am a son.

I could give any of you a very complex math problem and I would assert that the answer is one (one = oneness). Would you believe me based on who I am? Or wouldn’t you believe me before you had some kind of demonstration or experience? Which of these two are faith? You can answer that question for yourself based on Jesus’ temptation.

I could pose the math problem to my son, followed by “If you are not able to solve this math riddle you are not my son.” To him this would be rather ridiculous because he just know that he is my son and that his sonship isn’t dependent on whether or not he can solve complex math problems, but he trusts that I can do it. In this regard, he has a very mature consciousness which is not easily tossed to fro by the waves carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

But, assume there came someone along – a person who would sound extremely convincing as he tempts my son to prove his sonship by solving the math problem. My son would soon find out that it is far beyond his capabilities and he would fail repeatedly. Hopefully he at last would exclaim: “No good math thing dwells in me, only in my father.”

Coming out from that false consciousness of that we can turn stones into bread is an increase of who we are. Every increase is meant to take us closer to “the Father who dwells in me does the works” consciousness. Which is the truth but a truth veiled by this false consciousness of independence (that I can turn stones into bread).

However, the veil is torn apart so we are already there – we have that consciousness (even though the opposite might seem true) because it is God’s own consciousness with which we are one. The veil between the two consciousnesses are done away with. Hence, it is His faith that springs forth in us and which is the substance – the evidence of things hoped for. And this faith is contrary to any outer “evidences”, “experiences” etc which are not substance.

“The earth shook and the rocks were split apart” is an image of what takes place in us as we increasingly learn the truth. Yes, it hurts – it sometimes hurts bad to learn. Having our rocks of beliefs split apart involves pain and suffering. Jesus learned the obedience of faith through suffering – and so do we. The Scriptures say we go from faith to faith in glory – which is our increase.

We also face the same temptation to make things happen in regards to some strong desire we have. “If you were a son of God you could make this happen”. Resorting to the world’s way of doing things and judging things instead of remaining in faith is again walking in the flesh and will only result in frustration and defeat. But, by learning how to not do a thing we learn how to do it, that is, we do it by faith. It is all a part of the vital learning process we face here on earth – we go from competence to competence (increase).

Faith will always be: I am already there, God has done it, He does the works, the thing is done. Period!

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5 Responses to Stones to Bread

Ole Henrik, this is wonderful!!! Not your kind remarks about me in the beginning, which I did not dislike, (thank you), but the truth you already KNOW so perfectly expressed in this new writing! It hits home, I would think, in all of us. So much of temptation is toward “proving” the devil’s point, that we are the son of God, which we can demonstrate by our “abilities.” Bravo bravo bravo that you have seen this! The truth is the truth. That is why Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Anything more comes from evil.” Here is where this paradox occurs, because yes it is true we are one — if you see me you see the Father — but it is also, always, “the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works!” And this I know by much experience. In Paul’s terms, it is “I, yet not I, but Christ …” I cannot say about the consciousness beyond this life, but in this life this is always the case. I have almost become the weakest man on the earth. (I am sure I am joined by millions of other weakests as well.) It is not the ghost of the flesh consciousness that is the weakness, nor is it my “merely human me” part of the 1+1=1 equation. No, it is the “new me,” the Son of Man that I AM,” that says, “Not I, but Christ (the Spirit and the Father). It is plainest to me in my writings and on my trips, because I am always at the point of zero when it is time to share the words and life the Spirit gives me. As Burt Rosenberg says, “I got nuttin’ — bupkus!” I walk in with nothing and cannot imagine that anything good could come out. It is the same sitting at my laptop screen. But I am not lost — because the Lord has taught me and caused me to believe, “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” “Start typing on the keyboard, and the words will come.” And I find He is true to His Word that comes out of His mouth! “I yet not I,” is eternal. It is what the devil refused, yet by grace has been revealed and given to us! What glory it is to be A Son, to live in the earth which through us the Father blesses, to feel the ups and downs of life which everyone else feels also — to laugh with those who laugh, to weep with those who weep! A Son who has to put up no pretense at strength or wisdom or great miraculous ability, yet does all the Father’s will and is always pleasing in His sight because the Son walks in the Father and the Father in the Son. Bless you, Ole Henrik — you have firmly hit the nail again!

It always (with no exception) is so great to read your comments, because you cement and verify and elaborate so beautifully what came out of me this morning. And I know what you mean, I had only a few sentences when I began, and then it came, one thing after the other – new insights – things I haven’t seen clearly before etc etc. So, it is exactly as you say it is. You write: “So much of temptation is toward proving….” which of course means that there are other temptations as well. “To weep with those who weeps…” When I read that this time it hit me that this doesn’t necessarily mean sitting close to someone holding their hands and sharing in their pain – it is universal. Every time I weep I weep with someone somewhere. Thanks my friend!

We Live in Romans 8

To put it briefly, Romans 7 is not the chapter in which the believer lives. We live indwelt By Christ in Romans 8. Romans 7 is when we forget that Christ lives in us, and we try to live – to fulfill the law – by our own strength. But independent self is sin, therefore the moment we forget the indwelling Christ, and try to live by independent self, sin is at work in us, and we are under its dominion. Therefore the point to remember is that as that chapter tells us, we are dead to the law; that means we are not independent people trying to fulfill God’s law. We are new people, with the Law-Giver living in us, Christ Himself. We only enter the bondage of Romans 7, when we forget that fact and we must learn to turn quickly by the cleansing blood to our abiding place in Romans 8.
(Norman Grubb)

Norman Grubb

Unforced rhythms of grace

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
(Matt 11:28-30, The Message)